TITANic Love
by CrazyPandaHat05
Summary: Mia was a normal being from the underground world. By getting herself caught by the Survey Corps, she finds herself in a conflict of romance with the captain of the group, Levi.
1. Underground Dogs - Part 1

Most people would expect the world to be a peaceful and serene place where freedom was a virtue, however to those who knew the reality of life, freedom was merely a dream that has slim hopes of coming true. Humans were slowly but gradually becoming extinct, but not from natural causes like disease and famine, but from the titan threat; a creature tall and mighty that have no morals whatsoever. Basically put, they only have one goal: To eat humans for their own sick and twisted pleasure. However, to stop them, three walls were built to keep back the titans from gaining a taste of human flesh: Maria, Rose and Sina. Everyone was quite familiar with the placement behind the walls but there was only one area that not much people knew about, aside from the Military Police that is. The Underground; probably one of the most safest of places as it was located behind the innermost walls and as self explanatory as it was,the citizens of the Underground didn't fear the titans, however life styles seem to be extremely different than the people in the surface. It is difficult to tell what could be the worst scenario whilst living in the darkness but alas, it is simple to state those who is born in that one area, have an almost zero to one chance of seeing the light of day. To survive, some people divert themselves to become thieves in order to gain supplies. Mia was one of them, a quite a young one at that. Starting as a teen, she grew up on her own without any family and devoted whatever life she had left to help orphans who couldn't help themselves. Stealing food and medicine was already just as challenging as it is, let alone running from the Military Police who would gladly take her out of her game. She never stole for her own benefits and she never killed anyone so it didn't have her to the point of going through the stages of guilt.

However, one day changed the rest. The Survey Corps were called down and frankly at one of her worst times yet. She didn't realize that the top leaders of the organisation were on duty and with so not in consideration, she continued to go and retrieve some food for the young children back at the hide out. The area, luckily, was quite busy so it would be less likely for her to get caught in the act, after all, the shadows were her friend. Her glistening eyes peered over to a food stall, filled with fresh cooked meat. No wonder the stall was still full of meat, the prices were outrageous! But then again, those days, the taxes could be said to be similar. With silent movements, she eased over to the wooden stall, her hand reaching over to the rich, succulent chicken legs, delicately shuffling them over to the edge. Unfortunately, once dropping them into a old duffel bag, the owner had already set his eyes on her, and he didn't look happy at all. Unlike many who would freeze up and plead for forgiveness, Mia didn't take any moment more and made a runner, the older man screaming his lungs out whilst attempting to catch up to her.

"Hey, get back here!" He continued to yell furiously, continuing with threatening her with punishments as consequences for her actions. It was quite humorous actually, comparing how the man was clearly out if shape by the pot belly that burst out just about the waist line.

Because of her past encounters with the police, even with military gear, the stall owner was simple as heck to lose in the alleyways. Far too easy for it to be a challenge, in fact. Even so, her confidence was soon to be the cause of her own downfall. Upon turning a corner, her body couldn't react in time from how fast she was travelling, causing her to stumble and crash into the solid concrete which was surrounded by puddles which damped her clothing. At least then she didn't have much to worry about.. or so she thought at first. Because of the fact that no sunlight could get through into the city, almost every place had street lamps adjusted for the citizens, either so or none at all. Upon getting up and onto her knees, she quickly checked 'her prize' to make sure that it wasn't in anyway, infected during the fall. A small check was enough to make her smile and sigh in relief. "Good, it's still edible..." She muttered to herself, quickly tying the opening into a knot. However, doing this was merely a distraction.

Her body jerked to the sided to avoid contact with a man who was trying to sneak up on her, clenching a small knife in his hands. The male was shown to be in his mid-thirties and quite muscular in the arms, his eyes showing a sense of hunger and dominance. This type if thing happened quite regularly, mainly from the high price of food, clothing and medicine that only those that had employment could afford initially. Those who couldn't afford would plainly steal, or even kill as a last resort to gain supplies. The fight was about to commence and because of the length of the alleyway, it seemed to be that Mia had the upper hand.

"Now why don't you hand over the goodies like a good little girl?" Hissed out the man, causing Mia to flinch in disgust of how he called her 'little girl'. It was something that was quite stereotypical and discriminating to say in her mind so she plainly hated it.

"Why don't you just shut you're trap and let me do my business, old man?" She replied in a retort, her glowing bright golden-blue eyes narrowed, causing the male to start laughing. Why he found her threats so hilarious was beyond her comprehension, but she took the time to attack. One solid punch was all it took to silence the male and make his nose start gushing like a waterfall made of blood. The male began to become rather impatient of how rebellious the younger female was, throwing punch after punch out of mere rage, giving Mia the opportunity to dodge the hits with enough time. At that point, it was probably best to make a run for it, as her luck always seem to run out quite quickly once she began to get over-confident but then again, she focused more on pride and dignity for those who could not fight. She was about to attack once again, beginning another punch that was directly aimed towards his face but the undeniable happened. Her attack was blocked, a tight grip around her fist whilst it twisted around to the point that the pain went from uncomfortable to agonizing, her teeth clenched together; grinding to hold back screams. Once forced to her knees, a separate hand shot around her neck and lifted her up against the cold brick exterior, most of the oxygen unable to escape her airways.

His face leaned up to hers, his hot putrid breath as he spoke made her want to vomit and his eyes cold and cruel. "Now what was that about calling me 'Old man'?" He hushed out, spittle's of his own saliva running down her face. God, how much more disgusting could he actually get!?

Upon striving to receive another breath, three words managed but just barely to escape from her lips. "G-Go... to... h-hell..." to which case, her vision began to go fuzzy from the lack of oxygen. Luckily from her, someone came by at the last moment, a raven haired male that stood at five foot three in height. "Oi..." He muttered, taking out in of his famous titan slaying blades. "You'd better let her go, or else..." He muttered, his usual expression plastered on his face which made him look like he was majorly pissed. The larger male released the female, her limp form collapsing to the ground and coughing for air to get into her lungs once again. It just so happened that the raven male happened to have been none other than Levi Ackerman, Colonel and the second most skilled in the Survey Corps, a organisation dedicated to eliminating titans by trying outside the walls. If it wasn't his looks that terrified the attacker, it was his rank. It was unknown which it was, as the male made a quick retreat out of the alley and back into the main streets. With the amount of time that it took for the man to disappear from both of their sights, Mia had finally managed to regain her breath, muttering names such as 'dickhead' towards the strangers attack process whilst rubbing off the saliva off of her pale complexioned face, her sight slowly diverting itself to Levi, who only just stood there whilst sheathing his weapon back into his holder, staring at her at the same time. "T-Thanks..." She stated, nodding her head in gratitude before picking up the bag which got a little damn because of the fight scene. Levi furrowed his brows for a moment before one raised in curiosity. Mia instantly knew what that look meant before a rigid sigh escaped. "It's just some food I got..." She replied, not taking another moment to waste before retreating back to her own hideout, unaware that now, a powerful military officer had seen her face and following her tracks...


	2. Red-Handed - Part 2

Aside from the minor set back of the attacker and being caught out by the Recon Corps member momentarily, nothing seemed to be out of schedule and the plan. After all, the objection was to successfully bring edible food back, alive and well. The short journey back to the hide out was quite quick with no more interruptions, luckily enough for her. The hide out was not often passed by, comparing how it was located in a small building that used to be an occupied warehouse however, with some modifications, it didn't even look like it was left to begin with.

Upon arriving back, she reached the large steel doors, quickly taking precaution by swiftly looking around to make sure that no one followed her, especially any of the military forces because of her duties for the powerless, she was often tracked down. The search was often quick and easy to do.

No one...

Her finger tips took hold of the crack between the two doors, sliding them open with ease to enter something that resembled one of those murder scenes in a horror movie. It was quite dark and cold, but it was probably the best that they could do for the moment.  
"I'm back and with food!" Mia yelled out to inform the children that seemed to be in hiding, just like what she always told them to do if they heard anyone outside the thin walls approaching. One face popped out behind the columns, a set of big green eyes peering up to the female as she closed the doors and lit a set of candles for some light and heat. The light took hold of the green eyes, showing a young boy wearing a set of moderately average clothing even in their conditions. "Mama!" He squeaked a little whilst coming out and hugging her leg, emphasizing how short he was compared to Mia, a gentle smile easing across her face as she ruffled his hair. "Hello, little one.."  
Mia was often told to be great with kids, as if she gained a good-hearted motherly nature which seemed to make her quite popular with the children she took care of. Other than the little boy, three more children; one other boy and two girls, came out of hiding, scattering over to Mia.

Their eyes became wide with excitement to set their eyes on the meat, which was the equivalent to a feast to them more than anything. She went on food runs quite often. In fact, probably several times each month so sharing rations was often an important part of the system that Mia forged together as time went.  
Everyone began to dig into the tender poultry, every piece coming off with such ease that it just melts in their mouths. The perfect meal... However, the meal was cut short to instant banging on the doors, causing Mia to jolt up onto her feet. The harshness that was inflicted on the doors was far more than just a simple knock. Eyes narrowed, she looked back to the kids. "Get into hiding, now.." She informed them quickly but even so, she was far too late. The door became loose and collapsed, causing the lit candles to extinguish from a faint gust of chilled wind.  
A group of men came forward, one presuming to be the commander; a tall, broad blond came up to the agitated female, a frown twisted on his lips. "I am Commander Erwin Smith of the Survey Corps.. Miss, you are coming with us..." He stated in a soft tone, speedily and firmly grasping on her arm. However, this was the worst mistake. Mia retaliated, spinning around to the point that she managed to unarm Erwin and attack him, at least giving the children the time to escape through the back entrance. "Run!" She yelled out, swerving the offensive tactics that would miss her. However, the next moment made her heart drop so fast.. The sound of unconditional screaming and crying was evident to produce that feeling.  
"Tch.. Shut up, you brats.." was what she heard throughout the entire commotion. The voice produced was cold and emotionless,almost heartless and uncaring, one that she had previously heard. No.. It couldn't of been true.

"Hesitantly turning her head to view what was taking place behind her, she seen it was the four children, struggling against two members' grasp. However, the sight of one, being Levi, placed all the pieces of the complicated puzzle together. Of how they managed to locate her at last after all those months. Everything couldn't be happening. "No... Let them go! They have nothing to do with this!" She cried out, about to dash towards them to protect the kids, as if she was like a tiger, prepared to do anything to protect her cubs. However, they were already prepared to hold her back to degrade her attacks to mere struggling, as what a regular woman was capable of. The struggling ended from one hit to the stomach, forcing her to spit out her own blood on the cemented ground, leaving the room in pure silence with the exception of quiet sniffling. Erwin knelt down to her form, trembling from rage.  
"I will have my squad release them and placed into a suitable home, as long as you come with us without no question..." He said once again, his expression not seeming to change. Sure, Mia wasn't the type to give up easily but she couldn't allow them to harm them. A darkness grew on her face as she kept her sight diverted to the ground, observing the small circles of her own blood. "F-Fine..." She muttered in defeat, clenching her fists as if finding it difficult to do so. "I don't care what you do to me... Just don't harm them..."  
With a nod, two soldiers brought her up to her feet, bringing her towards the back entrance as the front was teeming with people and Recon Corps members. At least at this point it wouldn't set up a commotion with the crowd and it would be a lot less humiliating for her.  
Upon passing Levi, their gazes meet, his cold, sharp silver eyes matching her golden-blue set in the exact same fashion. It was as if daggers were shooting directly at each other at that point. It was obvious that their death glares was enough to make the almost entirety of the squad shudder. It wasn't as simple to predict what would happen if they were unleashed in a room together, after all, they were both undergrounders at one point. No doubt, they would probably kill each other. Before leaving, the raven leaned over and whispered, his hot breath trembling in her ear. "You should have chosen the winning side..."  
Somehow his voice changing even if it was just the slightest, as if showing... Sympathy?  
The thought surprised Mia but at her current condition, everything seemed unreal anyway. Whilst being escorted out of the building, a pair of metallic cuffs were placed around her wrists tightly. Soon to be, there will be a court case to decide whether or not her crimes were considered innocent or guilty...


	3. Military Justice - Part 3

Normally they say to always think the positive side of things at all costs to keep ourselves from gaining overwhelming emotions that could take over your life, however this scenario was enough to change this fact. To be honest, it was pretty bad in most cases. From the Underground to the surface world, there was always fear and danger around every corner in the streets to look out for.

The bright sunlight peered down on the female as she arrived to the surface world, her sight becoming useless momentarily, allowing the Recon members to guide her over to what appeared to be a horse and carriage, prepared to take it's leave as soon as everyone was organised in the small interior of the carriage. The air was quite thin and cool, unlike downstairs where the area was often thick with humidity. None-the-less, procedures like these never took that long to do but from the quietness of some of the Recon members, it was quite surprising to her at how serious they took their job, especially when it was to catch one single human being. It was as if they thought that she was a titan! After all, it had happened before with a titan spy by a name unknown to her but then again, stories like so seemed to spread about quickly, even in an isolated area to which not much people took consideration of.

All her thoughts remained jumbled in her head, reverting her to a blanked out phase to which the outside world wasn't a priority at that point, her heterochromatic irises remaining dead still as if they were lifeless. One of the males noticed this, an eyebrow widening in confusion.  
"Hey... You alright?" He asked, his voice soft yet deep, his large hand grasping onto her shoulder and nudging her back and forth lightly to catch her attention. This took her out of her trance, her pupils enlarging back to a regular size whilst her eyes blinked continuously as she replied back to the officer by her side. "Y-Yeah..." She stated in a mutter, forcing a smile that was obvious that she was a nerve wrecked mess. She lied... She wasn't okay.. Mia didn't know how to survive in a small cell on her own and it was clear as day that what she did wasn't inexcusable.

The journey to the Head Quarters didn't take too long from the lack of people around after being advanced by the crowd, however by from the high level of anxiety, it must have took longer for Mia to wait for her life to end. Perhaps it wouldn't be as bad as she thought it would be, she continued to say to herself over and over again as a mere method to calm her down. The sun was setting in the distance, behind the walls, a beautiful array of pinks and oranges blending in in the sky. The sight was astounding, something that seemed so wondrous and magical to the female, who had never seen the peak between day and night. Even with the majestic colours looming above her, it didn't last for long. Mia was took into HQ, deep down into the dungeons below the buildings structure which seemed to be guarded quite heavily, presuming by an incident which happens to be holding someone extremely dangerous. The cell chosen for her was average, with only a bed and a desk beside.

Erwin followed behind and glanced at the younger being, his words quite strict yet at the same time, not cold and uncaring. "There will be a court case in the morning to identify the judgement given. Get some rest, Miss... You'll need it..." He stated, leaving the guards to do their duties.

So much for sleeping.. That night was probably the worst to get some rest from between the newly felt mattress which she was not used to at all and Erwin's words.

"You'll need it? What was that supposed to mean? What was going to happen? All these negative thoughts and questions made her expect that tomorrow morning was going to be one hell of a day. Hours passed by and the exhaustion eventually kicked in, causing the female to fall into a peaceful slumber, quite ironic towards her situation actually. Morning came by in a flash, as if the sun immediately rose as soon as it left the horizons to produce a deep blue navy sky.

A tall,broad man with blond hair, bangs running down the side of his head stared at the sleeping female to see if she would wake up at any point, a sigh relieving his lips, meddling with the lock on the cell, opening the door silently. "Oi... It's time..." She stated in a dull, serious tone, a calm aura running in and out of his form. Mia groaned a little, her eyes slitting open for a moment to identify her surroundings. The thought made her grimace. "Great... It's not a dream.." She retorted before taking a second to regain her senses and feeling in her body. The males expression never changed, clearly patiently waiting for the female to come out which took momentarily. Upon leaving, the man leaned down and sniffed her, causing her to jolt forward a little from shock. "H-Hey! What's the big deal!?" She asked with an irritated expression, identifying a rebellious and belligerence side to her which was quite common for her surviving on the surface world alone, however, the man remained silent, a smug smirk running across his face for a second.

"Don't worry, he always does that... But be careful.. Mike can smell fear from a mile away.." informed one of the guards who happened to be passing by, catching a rare glimpse of the hostility. Mia listened to the guards explanation, hesitantly calming down. It was a bad idea to do so at that point. As soon as signs of her body began to relax, Mike grabbed hold of the back of her shirt, dragging her out of the low levels of the building and back to the outside world. All the signs was showing that something terrible was going to happen. Heck, the moment that they all stepped out of the building, charcoal coloured clouds spread across the sky, blocking the sun. The world became slightly more dark for a moment, leading to a downpour of rain which soaked everyone. Although Mia wasn't used to the damp cold substance coming from above, it was strangely refreshing for her but what she didn't realize was that her immune system wasn't as strong as she hoped for. Because of the high prices down in the Underground cities, immunization shots were if any, rarely given to those who was living in a state of poverty so only a minority of people happened to survive throughout their childhood days. Because of the harsh rainstorm that didn't seem to want to stop, the trip to the military tribunal took longer than expected, the schedule forced to extend much because of the natural phenomenon that took place.

Arriving though; this was the point where the guys were extremely merciless, taking in no hint of consideration of how the feminine convict was treated. Frustration and shock seemed to be the only emotions she could explain at that point, as from the shoving and pulling, she couldn't take the time to feel anger; nor depression or fear. Mia was forced into the main judgement room, members of the military police and Survey Corpse being the only insignia's she could decipher, the others belonging to the Garrison was nothing she had seen or heard from before, aside from the church priests. Why did that fact not make her feel eased? Why couldn't she say anything in protest? Maybe she knew that by that point when to give up, even if she didn't even know the meaning of such. Her body shut down by the time she reached the middle, voices and muttering echoing around her from the crowd. God, it was too much to handle, having practically almost every member of the top military forces from within the walls, sitting there, judging her. The symphony of mumbling came to an end as soon as Mia was tied down so she wasn't able to escape.  
"We will now begin ..." Informed the judge, peering down to the girl in soaking wet rags. "Here we have Mia, an Underground citizen who is been put under the law for crimes involving stealing goods from franchises under the Kings command.."  
"At that point, her eyes widened, sweat and rain drops dribbling down her pale face, her hands clenched tightly around the wooden stake.

"It wasn't my fault.."

She blurted out quietly, the echo of her voice seeming to be enough to reach everyone around. Her voice seemed rather shaky, which was quite understandable from the position she was in. "It wasn't my fault. I do admit guilty for stealing but that was to feed four growing children who lost their parents as I did and couldn't keep safe on their own! I stole to survive since the so-called King had to raise taxes so hardly any of us could afford anything we need! I know the battle of the Titans is the priority here but at least I understand my place.. All of you here in this room.. You were so blinded by your own self needs and stupidity that you couldn't even realize that there's more than just the Titans that's killing people!"

Every word she spoke was what she had always thought in both mind and soul, a deep passion for speaking up for everyone to realize what was happening to everyone down beneath their feet. A moment past before she lowered her head, clenched teeth revealed as she speak once again. "You were blinded so much by your need for self-preservation, that your stupidity led to more than just Titans killing off us humans! Day by day, we who live below the surface, and even those above, ration food just so we can barely live. Yet you all... You sit around in your lavish homes, talking of how much suffering there is, when you do nothing to stop it! You hypocrites!"

Within seconds, her line of sight was altered, becoming blurry from a swift kick to the face. The crowd became silent, aside from the few that let out a few grunts from trying to speak but unable to. A blow was then took to the stomach by the same boot, causing the female to cough up blood from the loss of breath by the assault, an immense panting followed afterwards whilst she glanced up to the culprit, a light headed feeling overcoming her slowly. Once again, it was Levi Ackerman that produced the attacks, meaning to probably shut her up.

With all honesty, it did work. Levi gazed down to the slightly tipsy female before bringing her up to his face, eye to eye. His own was the same, however Mia's was unlike what others have experienced before. They were shimmering from fright, from hope that someone could come and rescue her, from pain. It seemed that the raven haired male could tell by so what she was experiencing, however, he was one that was difficult to read. She fell to her knees once he released her, turning his attention to the judge. "I have seen her in action.. She will be useful in our cause... I recommend that she joins my squad... That way I can teach her some manners so she won't be so rude to any of us..." He added, his sparkling grey eyes shifting to the corner for a moment to view the girl. The judge sighed and looked over to Erwin. "Are you okay with this ordeal?" He asked, gaining a nod from Erwin. "Yes, we will be sure to keep a close eye on her and provide the appropriate training needed.."

The brightness grew back into Mia's eyes, her body lifted up slightly by her own strength as Erwin had mentioned so. Was all of this just luck? Or was Levi planning to save her butt from the beginning of the case? Of being dragged back to jail or even worse yet, executed? Either way, she didn't care. She could finally get noticed around and perhaps influence changes that could change her home town. Or perhaps just start off with baby steps and work up to so./p

The judge glanced at Mia with a solid, unbiased look, projecting his voice loud enough for the court room to here. "By orders from Commander Erwin, you are hereby appointed to join the Survey Corps and battle the Titans outside the wall. Therefore you are hereby found innocent for your crimes.."

 **"Case dismissed..."**


	4. Recruitment - Part 4

The words continued to echo through her mind. She was pleaded neither guilty nor innocent but either way, it was a chance to redeem herself and start a new life above the surface world. Finally... Free at last... At least, that's what she thought. What she never realized was that what the Survey Corps worked upon outside the walls, made anything in the Underground seem like child's play; All just a mere game. It certainly did take a great amount of bravery and determination to face the beasts between beyond the walls. Either way, it was better than rotting in a jail cell for years.

Mia was eventually freed from the shackles, helped up to her two feet by two men who had been working under Erwin's command, after the sense of violence inflicted by the short-tempered, raven haired male. Damn that guy... It was difficult to read his cold, grey eyes of what his intentions were. No one didn't have much of an idea of what he was planning and frankly, he was far too respected to have his actions put into question so everyone just went with it. Going outside, the rain had finally stopped, all but leaving puddles of water in small ditches of dirt and the sun came out in the sky. Her luck was certainly turning around for the better by then.

Unlike how she was treated on the way inside of the building, they seemed to have calmed down on their guard, as if the acknowledged her being the newbie in the organisation so the journey back to head quarters was far more pleasant in a sense that the atmosphere wasn't as tense as before, everyone seeming to be more able to put up a conversation every now and then back in the carriage.

Being escorted into Head Quarters wasn't as bad as the first time but then again, she didn't have to worry with being manhandled by the members and dragged off down to the lower floors. The thought made shivers run down her spine. Because of the sudden kick to her stomach back in the court room, Mia had to get assistance to sit down, since it felt as if her innards were all mixed up and turned to mush, if not that, bruised severely by the amount of pain it gave off for the moment. Momentarily, she was left on her own, in a clean room packed with wooden furniture to give it a homely vibe. Maybe living there won't be that bad considering how it was like a palace unlike the old, cold building that she used to reside for the majority of her own existence.

The time with her thoughts soon came to an end when Erwin came along, holding a plastic bag of frozen meat in his hand, causing Mia to tense up. From her surprise, he didn't beat her with it in anyway as she thought would happen, but instead, the meat bag was gently placed on a bruise that was coming out of her cheek, which was gradually turning black and blue.

"You don't have to be afraid of any of us any more..." He replied calmly, his deep baritone voice fitting just perfectly which could make any girl squeal. Wait... Why was she thinking about that!? He was her new boss! Shaking off the effects and thoughts of his voice, whilst taking herself out of a gaze, she simply nodded, exchanging soft smiles to each other.

"T-Thanks.." She stammered in a whisper, only to feel someone falling and settling down on the other side of the couch. She didn't bother to look, however the next few words spoken by the unknown person was enough to grab her awareness. "Tch.. Get a room..."

Those four words was enough to make her cheeks flush a deep red from embarrassment, a glare shot to the male. However, before she could say anything, Levi's hand shot down the back of the couch, moving across the back of her shoulders, forcing her to freeze in the spot. Erwin simply watched so happening, a sigh escaping his lips as he stood up straight. "Just don't kill each other..." He replied, as if knowing that the two seemingly had some sort of unfriendly rivalry. With so said, he turned, his back to her and Levi. It took only mere seconds before he was out of sight, leaving the two alone in the room together. But really, was this the best idea?

"U-Unlike you, our Commander doesn't beat the crap out of girls..." She muttered loud enough for him to hear although not loud enough to project an echo in the room. Levi shot a cold glance at the brunette, one that could make anyone run for their lives but even if Mia considered to do at an early peak, the Corporal was much to quick for her, forcefully trapping her on the couch, practically on top of her form with taking no sense of priority to the injuries that he had caused. Shit... Anyone who may come into the room would probably get the wrong hint to what was happening. It looked so wrong! But..

Why wasn't she fighting?

His face leaned up against hers, the soft exhale escaping his nose hot on the tip of her nose. Their line of sight met each others perfectly, his cold, angered look slowly depleting into an emotionless one as they stared intensely into each others eyes.. Just that one moment of peace was so beautiful..

Until...

"Tch, go take a shower. You're filthy.."

Seriously? Did he really just say that? Mia couldn't believe it. I suppose that she was bound to have seen it coming since the man was a clean freak after all. Upon harmlessly pushing the male off of her and onto his space of the couch, the swelled up emotions of sympathy just kept going down the drain and returning back to herself quietly judging him. "Fine.." She muttered with a sigh of defeat, easing herself up on to her feet with the help of the arm rest, moving at a leisurely pace to save herself from enduring anymore pain. This was probably the only reason why she didn't stand up for herself against the Captains commands, not just physically being hurt, but emotionally too. It seemed the one person that freed her was a lot more merciless than what she had expected. Considering the size of the building, it took a while until she managed to find the showers, even if it meant that she had to ask beforehand for assistance, something that she stubbornly refused to do until the last moment.

"The room was quite average surprisingly, with a sort of modernized atmosphere to it with a set of lockers and proper shower heads and curtains. "Hopefully the water is not freezing..." She muttered to herself, shuddering from the thought of curling up for warmth underneath ice cold water just like her days as a teen as she stripped down to her bare form, allowing her to see the black and blue area to where Levi kicked her. It didn't seem too bad luckily enough. It was something that could easily heal up over time. With a sigh, she went under the shower head, shutting her eyes tightly to embrace what exactly was going to come out once she turned the knob on the wall. She did so, a downpour of warm water hitting her directly on the top of her head, turning her hair a darker shade of brown, trickles of the clear liquid washing away the dried up sweat and dirt. Her shoulders began to relax, her head rested on the concrete wall, remaining there dead still for what seemed like an eternity. The seconds that passed in peace. Who could believe that this would be the life destined for a former thief. The serenity was soon to be relinquished when the female heard the door opening. Probably someone else that wished to clean up themselves probably. Unknown to her, the sound of running water echoed across the room because of the density that the wall was created and also from the fact that she made the worst mistake that any girl should never have done.

"A shadow came along on the curtain, a hand edging on the rim of the shower curtain as it began to pull back, the scratching sound of metal rubbing on each other attracted the young girl's attention but before she could react quickly and pull the curtain as a warning, it was fully drawn back, a male in sight... It was Jean who was standing there, staring at the froze up girl, completely naked. It took a moment before Mia momentarily realized what was happening, immediately giving a small scream and barging forward and grabbing a towel in a rush. For once, the injury seemed nothing. Her cheeks became a deep shade of red, the heat was probably enough to dry up the trickles of water that ran down her face. "W-What is the meaning of that!?" She asked in a demanding tone, her body trembling slightly from embarrassment.

Jean blinked in confusion for a moment, his eyes narrowing for a moment as if inspecting her, eventually leading to a tint of red coating his cheek. He was just as surprised to see her around just like anybody would. "Wait... You're that girl that just recently got placed here..." He said with a sigh. "I would have thought someone like you would have some common sense... To answer your question.. This is the men shower dorms..." He replied, only to gain nervous laughter from Mia, who had been hunched over a little.

"O-Oh... Sorry about that..." She said, rather genuinely but with a slight hint of humour as if her demanding tone was merely just a joke. Before she could even hear a single word for a reply, she grabbed a set of fresh clothing and rushed out of the showers and into the nearest empty closet, just to make sure that no other man could see her in such a predicament. Normally, every one would expect that the uniforms were made for all of the military sectors that had to wear as a symbol of pride and dignity for their jobs and responsibilities. But all that that Mia had just witnessed, there was none of that but instead filled with awkwardness.

It was the first day.. Perhaps the more that she grew into becoming a loyal soldier, everything may become a lot more easier. However, what was going to happen in the future, was going to change her life around forever...


	5. Unexpected Delivery - Part 5

Ever since being forced in joining the Survey Corps, Mia had suspected that things was going to be slow. In fact, she was correct. With it between having to deal with Levi's constant lectures and everyone having that sort of look that rich snobbish people have when looking down to commoners. It was quite demeaning but she began to learn how to suck it up and prove to everyone that people from the Underground wasn't all that bad. Heck, even she knew about Levi and his antics with his two now deceased friends, Farlen and Isabel but it seemed that he had to climb up the ladder to get where he is now.  
The brunette was making her way through the local duties of the day, greeting those who passed by in the hallways. Of course, doing paper runs for her seniors was far more satisfying that working in the stables, cleaning up manure. Even just thinking about it caused a gagging reflex to activate, let alone having to deal with the stench afterwards for days.  
Whilst having a look on the list of paperwork that had to be handed, she crossed off the names in her mind one by one. However, just that one name that popped up made her feel a little nauseous.

Levi Ackerman.

Ever since the first day that she was condemned into joining the military group, he was the one that had given her a hard time the most, especially when it came to training. She didn't understand why he did so but she did her best to try and keep out of his way. Unfortunately, it wasn't going to be one of those days.  
She arrived to the males office, however slowing down to a mere shuffle a few feet away to safe time before she got killed emotionally and mentally by her superior and his clean freak personality. Eventually, she raised her fist and knocked on the door, her knuckles grazing across the wood just lightly so it didn't leave any marks. Along with so, she took a step back so that the two didn't collide in any way.

Within the office, Levi had finished his daily tasks. Take about fast work, huh? But with gaining completion for the door, he was continuing to read a book. Grabbing his china tea cup with his flexed out fingers as he always does, he took a sip of his tea as an echoing from his door was heard. His sharp grey eyes stared immensely to the other side of the room, a sigh escaping as he gently placed his drink down before standing up. Because of the female's attitude in order to evade his presence, he mistook her as another one of his comrades.

"I swear to God, Eren, if that is you, I will…" Upon opening the door and immediately seeing a set of big golden blue eyes, he knew immediately his error.  
"I see… What do you want?"

His emotionless tone was enough to make her shudder from how overwhelming he seemed, even if she was just that little bit taller than him. Perhaps it was his glare and the fact that he could easily take down a human within seconds. She obviously had felt what he was capable of back in the courtroom months ago. Unable to get any words out of her mouth, she grabbed the set of papers that Erwin required him to fill out and held them out to him. With silently exhaling, he moved himself out of the way and pointed inside his office, as if asking her to come in without using verbal language. Probably since she didn't speak up in the first place.  
Taking in note of his gestures, she slowly eased herself into his office with him following behind her whilst proceeding to close the door behind him so they did not get interrupted whilst having their rare 'chats'. She took a seat in the chair located in front of his desk to where any visitors came for business. The male moved forward but instead, leaned against his desk, his view not moving off of Mia, as if his sights were locked on to her permanently.

"So, I suppose that it was just the paperwork as to why you came here?" He asked in a soft and subtle tone to which the female looked up and obediently nodded.

"Y-Yes…" She whispered, to which the man's eyes narrowed by her answer.

"Speak up!" He commanded, causing Mia to tense up and tremble. She couldn't take it anymore. Even if it meant that he would beat her up for being rebellious, she didn't care. She couldn't avoid him any longer without getting off what was on her chest. The brunette slammed her hands onto the arm rests and pushed herself up, the soft, innocent look returning to the passionate one that she always had when she was still situated down the Underground city.

"Okay, I will. I am tired of being pushed around! I'm sick of having to put up with whatever bull crap disgrace you put me through day after day! I am doing my best for the team and it wouldn't hurt to gain a little recognition… I know you, Levi Ackerman. I know your past and frankly, I'm surprised that you would treat someone who lived in the same soi-"  
Before she could continue, the male pushed her down onto the chair and pinned her wrists down so that she didn't try to escape. His stare was deadly, as if he was pissed off with expressing how she felt. Just by then, the courage that influenced her was crushed, leading her to just sit there with her mouth gaping wide open as to how easy it was for him to disarm her of any physical attacks. Even then, she could feel her eyes heating up and becoming wet with tears. Was she crying, she asked to herself from shock that she contained such emotions.

She was afraid…

The male took notice of this soulful expression and took one of his hands off her wrist and raised it, to which the female tensed up and turned her head away with closed eyes which forced the tears to come free from the sockets. She was prepared to be beaten to a pulp as she first expected. But within moments, the fear returned to a surprised shock that took over her body that caused her bloodshot eyes to open. Instead of feeling a piercing yet stinging pain across her face, a warm hand instead wiped away the clear liquid that streamed down her cheeks.

"W-Wha…?"

"Urusai…" Muttered the Survey Corps captain whilst he gave a sigh of defeat, their eyes meeting once again. The shine in her golden eye and the calm ocean like aura in her blue eye matched perfectly in such that it was mesmerizing. He simply stared at her, his lips just slightly parting in order to say something. As he was about to speak once again, his words refused to come out loud. What was happening?  
A weird yet warm and fuzzy feeling overcame in his chest. He had only ever felt this once in his entire life but even then, it wasn't even as strong as then. Was he actually falling for the girl he held against the chair? A light tint of pink began to grow on his pale, causing him to immediately eject himself away from Mia before turning around towards his desk, clearing his throat to regain any sort of cold and heartless emotions that he had always carried in his expression. After all, if anyone on the team, especially the younger pair that had come in from the Trainees Squad, they would never let him live it down if they found out that he actually felt a sense of love.

"You may leave now…" He stated in a soft tone, almost as if he was talking his time so that he didn't risk stuttering. Mia blinked in confusion to the sudden change of heart that the male showed. Perhaps it was best to speak about what happened and just simply leave as he informed her to do. Standing up, she gave the military salute of placing her fist on the right side of her chest by where her heart is.

"I apologise for overstepping the line, captain…" She stated before turning her back to him to leave Levi's office, eventually leaving and out of his sight.  
As soon as she disappeared to run the rest of her errands, the male took a seat and unlike any other point in his life, he began slouching. Nothing seemed to take his interest at that point. All he cared about was getting all of his emotions and thoughts straight to understand what had just happened. Maybe he should have asked her to stay. He would have to understand this immense feeling before it was too late…


	6. Confessions - Part 6

Today was the day.

Levi had spent days, let alone weeks getting all of his thoughts intact, as well as finding a way in confessing what he felt for who was to be a future lover. But what was the female going to think? After all, she practically told him that she hated his disrespectful guts.  
Shaking off all the thought scenarios of him being rejected for the first time ever, he realized that he had gone outside of the walls that protected humanity from the titans. He had fought said titans without a hint of fear showing. He couldn't let his nerves get the best of him.

Grabbing a set of flowers that he got made into a bouquet, he turned to a knock that presented itself on the door. He knew who exactly it was or at least he thought that he knew. Levi walked to the door and pulled the small parts of raven black hair that hung across his face back before pulling open the door.

"Please accept th-…" He began, holding out the set of flowers whilst bowing down, his view sticking to the ground so that he didn't mess up.

Before he continued to state what he wanted to say, he realized that what he was saying wasn't being stated at Mia at all, but at Hanji, the titan lover of the group. And by titan lover, everyone knew that she was obsessed with them.  
Hanji gasped in surprise at the sudden warm heartedness that the male turned. "Oh Levi, that is so cute!"  
She exclaimed, about to jump him in a hug. However, at the last swift moment, it only ended with the taller figure to fall flat face onto the ground as the male pulled back, clicking his tongue in annoyance at the fact that he did something that wasn't even part of his personality to someone completely different. It was obviously shown by the different colour of his cheeks in comparison to the rest of his ghostly white skin. That and the fact that the male was quite the germophobe, he wouldn't let anyone lay a finger on him, let alone hug him but possibly with some exceptions in the future.  
"This isn't for you…" He retorted back with a frown, causing the woman that was on the ground to look up with confusion at first but then a wide smile grew across her face.  
"Then who is it then?" She asked.

Before the male could reject her question by stating 'None of your business!', he got interrupted by another knock on the door but because of the fact that the door was wide open from the incident with Hanji, it was clear that it was Mia this time. Quickly before she could see them, the raven haired male hid the bouquet behind his back.

"You wanted to see me, Levi?" She asked in curiosity as to what he wanted to say to her, completely oblivious from the fact that he wanted to ask her out on a date.  
Levi's eyes widened as he noticed the mixed eyed brunette and cleared his throat whilst he nodded in response. "Y-Yes… Hanji, get out…" He stated, a stern tone returning as he spoke to Hanji.

Hanji looked at him, about to protest about staying to see what they were going to speak about until it hit her. She quickly understood what was happening. The mischievous smirk returned to her face before she rushed onto her feet and skipped to the door entrance. Before stopping, she whispered something the female.

" _Just be careful around Captain Levi. He's a quick one…"  
_ With so, Hanji left, leaving the poor girl confused as to what she meant as well as Levi who looked seemingly flustered. She looked at Levi and pointed towards the way that she went as a way of gesturing in question as to what she meant. After all, with it being a loud whisper, it was clear that the short ravenette heard.  
"D-Don't worry about what she said… We all think that she's crazy in the head. It's possibly best not to try and understand her." He stated.  
With a hesitance in her actions, she finally nodded. She didn't have a clue what was going on. Was this some sort of prank? No… Even she knew that Levi wasn't the type to joke around as he had a serious side to him.

"Any who… What did you want to talk to me about?" Mia asked, throwing the confusion aside in order to do business with the male.  
The male simply looked at her. Now he knew why he fell for her. With her eyes looking like the sky on a sunny day as well as the glow that her bright expression gave, the fact that she knew exactly what she was fighting for was ideal for him as well. Pausing a moment to regain any sort of pride back, he finally took out the flowers and walked over to the female, giving them to her.

"W-Will you… um…" He started off, attempting to find words that he was comfortable with but with the smile that it brought Mia, it was clear that she knew what he was trying to ask.  
"Sure, I would love to." She replied back in order to stop the male from becoming even more embarrassed but in all honesty, she actually found the fact that he gained enough courage to ask her out was quite adorable to say the least, especially at how nervous he got. She was the first to have ever seen him so flustered but because of the fact that she wasn't the deceiving type, she wasn't going to take advantage of the situation in the way that he expected.  
The male relaxed just slightly as soon as she accepted but that was just the first step. After all, he had never been out with a girl before on a small date before so he relied on Mia's patience for the period that they would be together after all, his self-esteem would immediately go to nothing if the others found that he went soft.

"R-Right.." She said, clearing his throat the moment that he took notice that his voice was becoming higher than usual, even cracking the odd point. He gently took her hand, pulling her just slightly in order to at least gesture for her to move. But even so, he was holding her hand. That was enough to bring a blossom pink colour to spread across their faces at the same time, most likely that they were both taken back by the swift movement.  
"L-Let's get going…" the captain muttered, to which his companion nodded with a slight grunt in her voice. After all, being as tough and direct as she thought she was, she didn't want to say anything that could prove awkward. To relieve the silence, they began to make their way outside the base as intended to spend some private time together.

Unlike the first time Mia came to the base as an official member, it seemed ridiculous at how long it took her to make her way outside. They were practically out within a minute or so. It just goes to show how long Levi had been living and standing tall for the military group. But that one thought almost immediately became wiped from existence. The moment that they stepped outside, they were embraced with a blanket of warm light. The sky was filled with different shades of pinks and oranges as well as shadows lurking across the stone and grass paths. It was almost as if she was in some sort of dream. It seemed rather cliché at the time but now she understood all the emotions and experiences. Out of the split second of looking at Levi in order to say something, her words got stopped just as her mouth open. Just for that second, she was sure that she seen him smile.

 _He smiled?_

That was the moment that she would remember for all eternity. Him smiling was like asking Sasha to stop eating. It was impossible! Or so she thought…  
Levi took her under one of the trees in the shade and settled her down on the dry grass which gave off a subtle aroma. Somewhat, the moment seemed unsettling but at the same time, it seemed right to feel this way. Perhaps it being a first time thing.

"Mia…I…" He began, trying to confess his feelings towards her, however his words began to become stumbled. Soon enough, the emotions felt in the moment disappeared, leaving Levi only one last thing to do.  
Placing one of his hands on the bark of the tree and the other under her chin, he stared into her eyes once again, becoming hypnotised in what he seen as beauty. He began to lean in, eyes closed in order to savour the moment. He thought that that was going to be the moment. That one moment of happiness. That was until the sound of rushing footsteps was heard from nearby. The male pushed away from his lover in order to conceal the secret of them having a romantic relationship, although it was going to be rather suspicious as to why they were together outside.

"We need assistance out in the field. The titans are trying to get through the wall again." Armin said in a raspy tone, as if attempting to give his message as well as regaining his breath back. The blonde male remained hunched over momentarily before standing up straight to view the two 'lovebirds' getting up on their feet together.

They rushed back to HQ to get their horses prepared for battle. However, unknown to Levi, he was about to receive the biggest shock of his life…


	7. The Tears of a Soldier - Part 7

Soldiers frantically rushed around the headquarters, all of them simultaneously moving towards the stables to grab their horses for battle. Every moment went by in a flash, not taking any moment to stop. They had no time to communicate to each other about their plan of action. After all, if they wasted any more time, then it was sure to be a reality that humanity was going to be in even more danger.

Just as Mia was about to stay behind considering how her training wasn't even complete, Levi grasped onto her hand, pulling her along which surprised even her considering how he was the type of guy to prioritise safety to the ones that he held close to him.

"Stay by my side… I will protect you." He stated without even proving to give a second glance to show his expression whilst he said so. Even if what they were about to do could cost them their entire existence, Mia respected Levi as her captain, as well as trust him as her soulmate. He gave her the courage to say yes.

Mia and Levi was almost the last to get their stallions, much because they were outside at the front at the time, however with some speed, they were able to catch up to the others in no time at all. It was a good thing too. Wall Rose soon came into view and began to grow considerably the closer they got. This surely gave the overwhelming feeling of the fifty foot wall as the stone structure towered before them, crumbling from the force that the titans gave in order to get through.

Cries of panic and distress could be heard from the distance as well as a strange rumbling that vibrated the ground.

It was getting nearer.

So near that Mia was sure that she could hear breathing as well as inhuman throat noises that was aching to feed. One of the soldiers slowly looked around over his shoulder, his hazel brown eyes widening, frozen in response to what he was witnessing. It was a titan and it was chasing them. It was quickly gaining up on them without even trying. Not every titan had gotten through the wall. Even though they seemed to want to just mindlessly eat humans, titans did prove to have some form of instinctual intelligence in hunting down their prey but even such a thought what insignificant at that moment. Most of the members kept their pace, some even going all lengths to force their steed to go faster in the midst of an uncontrollable pandemonium. After all, they never wanted to die so soon and just knowing that the titans were their final destination to leading their souls to better places, it indeed was nothing more than frightening. Unfortunately, that was the case in such an unfair world.

The titan over shadowed the man who had his eyes locked onto the human like beast, a heated hand lowering itself and swooping the man into it, forcing the horse to stumble and run off elsewhere to get away from the violent scene. A few of the soldiers stopped in order to try and help the human before he was eaten, or even die a painful death of blood loss but it was far too late. Just a quick and swift action had killed the Survey Corps member, only a matter of a few screams was the last thing that was heard from him as well as the other members of the Survey Corps. The man's lifeless eyes slowly began to turn pure white just like the pale skin that remained on the being. A few drips of the thick red substance dripped onto the grass, dying it the same crimson colour. It was enough for everyone who wasn't as emotionally scarred by it all, having to watch in horror of their comrade losing his life by the hands of a titan, especially with it being so vivid.

"Levi, get the remaining soldiers into Trost, we will handle this one!" Erwin shouted out to the Captain to which he emotionlessly nodded as his response.  
"Hai! Move out!" He yelled out towards the soldiers who was still remotely moving. However, turning to Mia, he had a look that wasn't like him at all to have.

It was fear…

"Don't try to fight the titans. If they come after you, run…" He simply stated in a soft, hush tone for only the female to hear. Unknown to almost everyone, even to himself, he didn't understand exactly why he wanted to protect this certain being with everything he had. He couldn't get this overweighing feeling of fear of losing that one person who somehow got close to him. He promised himself to never get close to anyone again after the incident with Farlan and Isabel but it seemed that Mia snuck a special place in his heart and frankly, the fact that he accepted it was enough to make the female feel touched by it all, a rare feeling that she had only very so happened to experience. Mia nodded once as a response, a reply that Levi wasn't exactly happy with but it will have to do for the time being.

The rally of troops that was under Levi's command stampeded their way to the entrance in the wall but the thing is, there was two open areas within the wall. The second that only was just recently marked was not in any way stable. Pieces of stone crumbled off of the wall and began to stumble down the ridged width of the walls interior, the clacking that it was producing just audible even with the sound of destruction and havoc that came ahead.

As soon as the members got into Trost, all hell began to break loose. Not only had many of the citizens met their final chance of life, the amount of titans who had invaded the city was overwhelming, even for the heroes. In fact, enough to the point that even one or two of the members were eaten, which was slowly bringing the humans towards a greater disadvantage as to what was already one.  
The fight was long and gruelling, every one of the members who had survived was flat out exhausted, even with using the Omni-dimensional gear.

However, the battle wasn't over yet.

Just as Levi had ordered her from before when the battle began to turn heads for the humans, she went into hiding. He didn't exactly believe that she was capable of fighting so he did the next best thing and told her to go into hiding. It did work, however only just for a small amount of time.

" _Hey guys!"_

Just as she revealed herself to the remainder of the team, a bright smile of victory and pride crossing her lips to see such a large amount of them alive and unharmed. She began to run the short distance to meet with them, waving her hand in the air in order to attract their attention, although it did attract someone's or perhaps something…

Rubble and pieces of thatched roof flew in all directions, a five-meter titan appearing swiftly from the damaged building. It was impossible to dodge or even react. The females scream was cut off instantly by her lack of breath. Everything was upside down, her heart racing so much whilst a sharp pain rushed through her entire body momentarily, until everything went numb.

 _Crunch... Splat…_

These cringing noises was all that could be heard in the silence of the ghost town, Levi's eyes widening in horror as he stared at the body hanging from the titan's mouth, blood seeping out of its mouth and down it's chin. Memories of his two friends pale lifeless faces began to flash back in his mind, causing him to blank out completely. Soon enough, the titan had lost its grip, causing the top half of the human to fall from the great height, proceeding to crash into the concrete ground below within seconds. Somehow, she felt lucky that she couldn't feel any pain. At least, not physically…

The raven haired male had lost all purpose to being horrified. He wasn't to let this happen again. Not without revenge. Using his gear, he climbed up to the walls of the homes that was still stable to stand on, swiftly rushing to a position that Levi could terminate the titan once and for all. The anger and frustration subdued every emotion he felt, every action he did out of instinct.

Just one swipe of the blade was all it took…

Just as the titan paused on the verge to picking up the remaining elements still to the female, a dark shadow over cast her. The titan was falling. The giant form that began to quickly evaporate into a carcass at first crashed into the debris covered ground, the other pieces of light rubble trembling and falling down the large piles of stones, wood and thatched straw. Within moments, the carcass of the titan soon disappeared, leaving a trail of white smoke that drifted into the open air, up into the sky where it would never be found ever again.  
It was lucky that Levi came in on time to save his lover. Despite his lack of control over hygiene, he didn't care this time of his uniform attire soaking in the female's dark red blood. He cared more about saving her, or even getting the chance of saying his final good byes. As much as he didn't want to, he had to face the inevitable. He had to accept the truth…

Gently laying the body down onto the ground, Mia looked up to him, worry spread across her face at first.  
"I-I can't move…" She whispered those three words, which ultimately brought a single tear to grow in the Captains eye. He hated to see her like this, even if they grew close for a short space of time. How he could become so emotionally driven towards her was quite surprising.

"It's okay… It will be fine…" He responded back, taking her cold, limp hand into his, giving it a light squeeze whilst his face remained covered in her chest, listening to her heart beat whilst it was slowly fading away.  
Mia managed to give a soft smile to seeing him cry. Never had she thought that she would have someone cry over her so easily. Especially someone like Levi, who was tough, inside and out. Whilst giving a small laugh at how adorable he seemed to her, she gave a rough and chesty cough that seemed to ache slightly. That will possibly be the last sense of pain that she will ever feel. As much as she didn't want to leave him, it was her time.

"L-Levi?" She whispered, the emotionally broken man picking up his head as a response, staring at her gradually dimming eyes.  
"P-Please don't cry… I will always be by your side." She said, the clear liquid growing in her eyes, the smile still showing though. It was rather strange, especially in such a heart breaking moment.

" _I will always love you…"_

The remaining members stared in shock to how Levi didn't seem in anyway phased. After all, they didn't know that they were romantically close, aside from Hanji from earlier. They always thought that they both couldn't stand each other.

The male leaned down and wiped away the trail of blood that came down her forehead with his thumb, resting his own forehead against hers.  
"I love you too… Mia…"

Within that moment, Levi leaned in a little more, his soft lips finally making contact with Mia's, softly resting into a gentle yet compassionate kiss, one that they both had been waiting to do ever since they revealed their feelings for each other. Just that one perfect kiss.

However, it didn't last…

The female had lost every sense of movement in the kiss, the colour in her eyes turning pure white whilst her eye lids drooped down closed, as well as every remaining colour that plastered across her face that had vanished. There was nothing left other than a dead corpse. Levi pulled back and saw the peaceful look that Mia gave. He couldn't believe that she was gone.

Within a moment of weakness, he cradled the blood coated corpse into his arms, his head nuzzled into her shoulder for comfort. He didn't want the others to see him break down in tears but he couldn't help it. For the first time in so long, he was crying.

He had lost someone, yet again.

" _It's all my fault…"_


	8. A New Beginning - Part 8

Days had past ever since Mia had passed away after their success towards saving the citizens of Trost from the titan threat. Many of the Survey Corps members helped in rebuilding their city. Everything had remained quiet between them all. Especially with Levi. In fact, he didn't even help with cleaning up the rubble and rebuilding their civilisation and the members understood why. After his final confession and break down, Levi had fallen into a pit of grief and despair that he couldn't get himself out of. He didn't know what to do now. He just couldn't end up like Eren since he wasn't a titan. Attempting full on revenge was sure to be suicide.

The raven haired male kept hidden in his office for days. He came out here and there for something to eat but that was about it. He just wanted to be left alone with his thoughts; figure out how he was going to move on again.

Soon enough, the funeral was arranged by Levi's orders. Unlike many of the other bodies which got cremated in a huge pile within the streets that they were killed in, he wanted to give Mia something that he would be able to treasure; maybe even come up when he was alone and talk with. Oh if only Mia could speak back to him. Just one more moment with her was all he wanted; all he needed.  
Soon enough, the sun was setting and he was the only remaining person to remain at her grave site, a cold biting wind causing the flower petals to waver.

"Why did you have to leave?" He whispered, placing his hand on top of the stone gravel, reading the engraved writing on the tombstone. The emotion on his face remained lifeless for the time being until he reached a certain line that stated ' **Brave Warrior and** **Loveable Mother.** '

That was then…

 _Until it hit him…_

Although he wouldn't be caught dead doing so, he wanted to do something that would please the lingering spirit of the female. What Mia had always inclined to do with having being trapped in the underground city. He wanted to continue her legacy of taking care of the orphan children, become their father. It seemed rather laughable when you thought about it, considering how Levi didn't seem as much as a family man but after seeing how much his lover went through, they were all willing to overlook that.

The frown eased into a small smile as he stared up to the array of oranges and pinks that made up the cloudy sky. He knew exactly what he was going to do next. Sure it was going to be hard taking care of so many whilst attending to his duties, but he was going to work something out.

Soon enough, after the paperwork was rearranged as well as his work schedule changing to meet his needs so he wasn't as overworked, he brought the kids to a house that they would now consider as their new home. Sure, things had started off rather awkward considering it was Levi and Erwin who tore the woman and the children apart from each other but they all soon realised that the captain wasn't as bad as they made him out to be. In reality, he was actually a really nice guy when he wanted to be, despite his cleaning habits was still the same and he always had that look that would make chills run down your spine. It seems that some things would never change.

It had been one of those usual days, Levi had finished off his duties in the Survey Corps before returning back to the home to check on the kids. Of course, Hanji, being as curious as usual, wanted to meet the young ones, despite Levi rejecting her so she simply followed beside him and strangely remaining silent.  
The moment that he opened the door, a rush of noise began as a way for the group of young children to greet their new father although just seeing the new woman that they had never seen before, they paused and returned to silence before looking back at Levi. The male glanced at them all before clearing his throat.

"You guys, this is Hanji. She's a member that works alongside me under Erwin's command."

"Oh Levi, you don't have to be so formal! Look how cute they are! I'm sure they are little angels." Hanji replied with a bright smile, wrapping one of her arms around the awkwardly standing male, however what caught his attention was a small voice that sounded out from behind the crowd.

" _But when is mom coming back?_ "

That one question brought a series of emotions to come about in his facial expression and his eyes especially. All those fond and saddening memories began to flood back in his mind. He just couldn't get that vivid picture out of his head, Mia's final smile and tears as the life slowly drained from her body, taking away her spirit that soon became non-existent. Before Levi could reveal his true emotions on the matter, he managed to say something whilst walking past. After all, as someone who relied on himself to bring him back to his feet, he didn't wish to be given pity.

"As I said before… Your mother isn't coming back… She can't come back…"

Before another word could come out of the child's mouth, he went upstairs and into his own room, slamming the door behind him slumping down into the empty corner, holding his knees to his chest whilst he slowly pulled his hair back. However, within moments, he pulled his pale hand back, staring at it with shimmering grey eyes. He was shaking…

"Why… Why did you have to take her away?" He whispered, leaning his forehead against his knees, remaining in silent with the exception of his heavy breathing that came out shakily.

" _You know how I promised that I would stay by your side, no matter what?"_ Spoke a soft tone so familiar to him that it echoed both in his mind and the room around him. It was so soft and subtle but it couldn't be who he was thinking. It just couldn't…  
Staring up from his knees, he seen a figure leaning by the window that resembled the one person that he treasured for a short amount of time.

"M-Mia?" He whispered before standing up to his feet, a smile easing on the females face as a response.  
"Glad to see that you remember me…" She responded before walking up to the man. "Then again, I shouldn't have thought any less. Although I am surprised that you took the kids on. I never seen you as a father figure though."

The male blinked for a moment before a blush of embarrassment rose onto his cheeks, his sight moving away. At last, he was finally acting like himself; cold and in his own personal way, isolated.  
"I…I only did this because of you…"  
Sure, this sounded a little rude if a person never knew of Mia's history. However, being as it is, she felt a warm feeling to grow within her, allowing her to hug the man, much to his own surprise, merely because he didn't expect physical contact.  
"You… You're not a ghost?" He asked.  
This caused Mia to laugh softly before pulling her head back from his shoulders, staring lovingly into his eyes.

"Silly… I'm not a ghost… I'm an angel…"

This brought life to Levi's eyes, a brightness that was so evident by how surprised he was. "S-So, you'll stay? With me and the kids?"  
The moment that Mia nodded, Levi wrapped his arms around the females pearl white robe, sweeping her off her feet and spinning her, causing her to laugh even more until he stopped.  
"H-Hey! I said I would stay but I do have my duties up in heaven to fulfil so there will be times that I will be away."

"That's fine by me. As long as I get to see you and your face." He stated in a subtle yet flirtatious whisper, leaning up to her face and pushing his lips against hers. However, this didn't last. Whilst in mid-kiss, the door slammed open, much likely in a panic. With hearing the laughter from underneath the floorboards, Hanji and the children all made a rush up the stairs and burst into the room, fear struck their eyes as they spoke out to their Captain.

"L-Levi Heichou, I-I think there is a…"

Before she could finish off her sentence, her words got caught in a twist with seeing Mia. It couldn't be possible that she was alive and standing where she was apparently but Hanji's original thoughts clouded the titan lover's judgement.

" **G-Ghost!** " She screamed, causing the kids to also scream in an array of high pitched noises. In response, they ran out of the room in terror as well as forcing Levi to flinch from the noise that they made.

"Why does she have to be so obnoxious?" The male muttered in annoyance, a chuckle to escape the female's lips from how serious he was.

"I suppose that this will take some explanation."

"More like a lot…" He stated, a smile slowly but gradually easing on the raven haired male. "But that doesn't matter right now. After all, we are both together once again and even if you are a supernatural being, that won't get in the way…"

Mia's smile remained as she kissed the tip of his nose, her arms wrapped around his shoulders.

" _Together…Forever…"_

It didn't take too long for the strange phenomena to be explained to both the family and the military group she was associated with (Much because of Hanji's loud mouth) and it especially was going to take time for them all to get used to this fact, especially since they all witnessed the day that she died. All in all, they were attempting to forget about it all, as if it was nothing but a bad dream.

Levi quickly got over it quite quickly and was probably the first actually. He even stated that it was more of a miracle than anything that he was so thankful for. They all soon became a happy family; strange but happy none-the-less. Even if Mia had to leave, she always came back to them. Heck, even Levi prepared himself to step out of battle at any time to support the family. Even if Mia couldn't get killed again as easily, he couldn't let any of his family to get harmed.

Not again...


End file.
